Bel Café

Our design for David Hawksworth’s Bel Cafe is a reflection of the heritage materials used in the Hotel Georgia lobby, utilised in a contemporary setting. Materials selected reflect the character of a European cafe: rich dark wood panelling and cabinetry; zinc service counters and tabletops; honed black granite floors; and classic leather and wool upholstery seating. The cafe features a long service counter with display cases, display shelves and a dining area that seats 20.

A custom chandelier, fashioned from chromed ribbons of aluminum, greets customers at the entrance, with banquette seating on either side. Menu boards supported by the wood ceiling give a casual, vintage nod to the typical French cafe. Custom designed wallpaper, in a palette of soft colours, reflects the overall aesthetic of the cafe.

Photos © Copyright: Janis Nicolay. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

In Progress: Spectus Eyewear

Construction is nearly complete on our design for the interior of Spectus Eyewear’s new location on Fourth Avenue.

The Union Bar

Our latest project, The Union, opens tonight at 219 Union Street, Vancouver.

We got a sneak taste of what’s in store the other night with some food and cocktail tasting (photos below). Chef, Lisa Henderson has created a Southeast Asian inspired menu, while barman Arthur Wynne uses the regions ingredients, sourced from neighbouring Chinatown, to infuse his cocktails.

More photos to follow. In the meantime, here’s a brief description of the design.

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The Union is a 2,100 sq.ft. modern yet eclectic space utilizing dark woods, reclaimed barn board, exposed concrete walls and floors, large-scale pendants, custom wood tables and benches, and neighbourhood imagery, creating a contemporary and inclusive room. The space is organized around the bar and kitchen.

Upon entering the space, the 14 seat bar (with emeco Lancaster bar stools) is prominently highlighted by four backlit cabinets featuring detail images of texture and colour of the grittier aspects of the Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood (Photography by Janis Nicolay). Chalkboards above present the bar’s offering, which focuses on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, also prominently displayed.

The 70 seat dining area is comprised of three long wood communal tables and benches. A long banquette at the back of the room separates the diners from the service spaces. Above the communal tables hang nine Jielde Augustin large pendant lamps, chosen for their simple and industrial aesthetic.

Adjacent the bar, the open kitchen is wrapped in reclaimed barn board panels. The installation was inspired the Union Street locale.

The lyrics to “Crosstown Traffic” not only reference the young Jimi Hendrix who ventured up to Vancouver to spend his summer holidays, but also the Georgia Street viaduct which was constructed in the early 1970′s as part of an extensive freeway system which was to flow traffic from the suburbs “crosstown” to Vancouver. Hendrix would spend his summer holidays with his grandmother, Nora Hendrix, who worked at Vie’s Chicken Shack (next door to The Union, where the Jimi Hendrix Shrine now stands) The lyrics have been broken apart and reassembled to represent the fracturing of the neighbourhood caused by the viaduct, which went directly through the predominantly black community of Hogan’s Alley (Park Lane).

There is a common design language used throughout The Union with Evoke being responsible for: interior design, custom-designed furniture, feature wall installations, menus and all branding (including name development, logo identity, collateral graphics, signage).

The Union Bar: 219 Union Street, Vancouver. www.TheUnionBar.ca | Twitter: @TheUnionBar

Working For The Union.

Our latest restaurant project, The Union Bar, is moving into the final stages as the installation takes shape wrapping around the kitchen wall and equipment starts moving in.

Stencilling for wall installation.

The install.

Site discussions.

The Union Bar is located at 219 Union Street, Vancouver (at Main & Union on the edge of Chinatown).

Follow updates on twitter @evokeid and @theunionbar.

See also: Scout Magazine – Habit & Cascade Folks To Open New Southeast Asian Restaurant “The Union”.

Heavy Metal.

Interior/exterior metal work is now installed in preparation for the October unveiling of our design for new Yaletown restaurant, Chinois.

Now Available in 6 Packs!

Main Street Pilsner, our ongoing experiment of becoming self-sufficient, in conjunction with Public Lounge and The Cascade Room is now available in 6 Packs! Just in time for the Stanley Cup Finals & summer BBQ’s! Go Canucks, Go!

(Main Street Pilsner is brewed under licence by Russell Beer for Main Street Pilsner Co.).

Wine Shed

We love it when we get to work with booze clients! Come on – Really, who doesn’t?

This logo is for the wonderful ladies at Wine Shed , and if you’re into Pinot’s we suggest signing up their upcoming Oregon Wine Tour:

Oregon Wine Tour: Pinot Capital of the New World:
Join us for an exclusive opportunity to discover and taste the outstanding wines of the Willamette Valley. This premier region produces some of the best Pinot Noir of the New World, with constant comparisons to the grape’s homeland, Burgundy, France. The wines are revered by the most respected experts in the industry, including Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker Jr., and are consistently awarded top scores in major publications.

On this tour we will visit the leading estates and we will be hosted by proprietors and winemakers for an unparalleled intimate experience. We will stay in a luxury inn and spa and dine at the top culinary destinations of the valley.

Full details here

Latitude Revolution.

It was a snowy Saturday spent indoors graffiti-ing our design/message onto the concrete block wall at Latitude on Main Street. Latitude, now part of the growing Cascade Company, reopens this Thursday, March 3. So, if you want to see the finished message drop by – we’ll be at the bar, quaffing mojito’s.

Will Work For Beer

We’re very proud to be associated with a brand new product, Main Street Pilsner.

The recently launched 650mL bottle sports our spiffy Evoke-designed label. It seems that when a new beer is launched these days, they always try to outdo each other with fancy type, fancy images and fancy print treatments, so what better direction to go than the complete opposite?!! We took our inspiration from the ‘everyman’ ethos of the 70′s beer designs, stripped down the colours to a simple red and white palette, then threw in a patriotic reference of the maple leaf sitting large on the world stage.

Of course, we could say that the extensive taste-testing was required  to make sure “we understood the ‘personality’ of the beer”, but that all sounds like pretentious design-wank. Really we just love the beer and the logo represents that – crisp, clean and “no mess”.

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Main Street Pilsner is a collaboration between The Cascade Room and Public Lounge and is available at both, as well as our friends at Habit. It’s also available at Brewery Creek Liquor Store!

Commune Cafe Opens

Our latest design project, Commune Cafe is now open. Commune is a contemporary space utilizing light woods, recycled felt upholstery, cork pendants, custom wood tables and bright red chairs, creating a contemporary and inclusive room. The space is organized around the service counter, with large food display units and menu boards viewable from any location. A large scale, vibrant mural depicts a time when the cafe was the hub of social life and the  inspiration for the exchange of ideas and creativity.

There is a common design language used throughout Commune with Evoke being responsible for: interior design, custom-designed furniture, wall mural illustration and branding (including name development, logo identity, collateral graphics, signage).

Commune Cafe has been a fun project for us, with inspirations coming from the collaborative nature of the clients and the innovative food program initiated by Tine Fineza and Annette Rawlinson. We’ve learned over the years to listen closely to our clients and consultants, as good ideas and inspiration can come from any direction. This type of strong relationship always manifests itself in highly successful results, and early indications are showing that Commune Cafe will continue the trend.

Thanks to Janis Nicolay for her wonderful photography.